Sadko (russian: Садко) is the principal character in a Russian medieval epic ''

bylina A ( rus, были́на, p=bɨˈlʲinə; pl. ) is an Old Russian oral epic poem. Byliny narratives are loosely based on historical fact, but greatly embellished with fantasy or hyperbole. The word derives from the past tense of the verb '' ...

''. He was an adventurer, merchant, and ''

gusli ''Gusli'' ( rus, гусли, p=ˈɡuslʲɪ) is the oldest East Slavic multi-string plucked instrument, belonging to the zither family, due to its strings being parallel to its resonance board. Its roots lie in Veliky Novgorod in Novgorodian Ru ...

'' musician from

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...

Textual notes

"Sadko" is a version of the tale translated by

Arthur Ransome Arthur Michell Ransome (18 January 1884 – 3 June 1967) was an English author and journalist. He is best known for writing and illustrating the ''Swallows and Amazons'' series of children's books about the school-holiday adventures of childre ...

in ''Old Peter's Russian tales'' (1916). Kate Blakey's translation of a variant, "Sadko, the Rich Merchant Guest", appeared in the ''Slavonic Review'' (1924). A

version collected by P. N. Rybnikov has been translated by James Bailey.

Synopsis

Sadko of Novgorod played the ''

'' on the shores of a lake and river. The Tsar of the Sea enjoyed his music, and offered to help him. Sadko was instructed to make a bet with the local merchants about catching a gold-finned fish in the lake; when he caught it (as provided by the Sea Tsar), the merchants had to pay the wager, making Sadko a rich merchant. Ilya Repin - Sadko - Google Art Project

Sadko traded on the seas with his new wealth, but did not pay proper respects to the Tsar as per their agreement. The Tsar stopped Sadko's ships in the sea. He and his sailors tried to appease the Sea Tsar with gold, to no avail. Sadko realizes a sacrifice of a live soul was being demanded. All the shipmates drew lots, but Sadko draws the unlucky lot as if by fate or magic, so he is sent overboard and he sinks into the sea. In the sea world, Sadko played the ''gusli'' for the Sea Tsar, whose dancing roughened the seas, so that all the sailors prayed to Mikola Mozhaisky (Mikula Mozhaysk, patron of mariners; or the name

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...

is called by in variants), and the saint instructed Sadko to quit playing, and break the strings if the Tsar will not let him stop. As the Tsar was bound to offer him a choice of maidens to wed in order to detain him, Mikola advised him to choose the last one, with the warning not to embrace her as a wife (consummate the marriage) if he hoped ever to return to Russia. The Tsar showed Sadko a selection of 900 (or 300) maidens, and Sadko picked out

Chernava In Russian folklore, Chernava (diminutive: Chernavushka; russian: Чернава, Чернавушка) is Morskoy Tsar's (Sea Tsar) daughter (or, according to some versions, a niece), spirit and personification of the river of the same name. She i ...

(diminutive: Chernavushka) who appeared last. The two then wed, but the groom made no overture to the bride on their wedding night, and Sadko the next day woke up in his hometown, reunited with his terrestrial wife. The Chernava is explained as the nymph of the River Chernava. In Ransom's version, the Sea Tsar's youngest daughter is named Volkhov, which is the river Sadko has always cherished.

Analysis

Tale type

The story of Sadko is classified in the international Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as tale type ATU 677*, "Below the Sea": due to his musical prowess, the hero is taken to the court of an underwater king.

Motifs

In some variants, Sadko is chosen to jump overboard by throwing lots between the men. This motif, derived from the Biblical story of

Jonah Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin: ''Ionas'' son of Amittai, is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, from Gath-hepher of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th cent ...

, is a widespread device, appearing, for instance, in

Child ballad The Child Ballads are 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, anthologized by Francis James Child during the second half of the 19th century. Their lyrics and Child's studies of them were published as '' ...

57 ''

Brown Robyn's Confession "Brown Robyn's Confession" is Child ballad 57. Synopsis Brown Robyn goes to sea. On board ship, they are unable to see any lights in the sky. They "cast kevels" (drew lots) which indicated that the problem was because of Brown Robyn. He confess ...

''.

Historical parallels

Sadko may be based on a certain Sotko Sytinich (or Sedko Sitinits), who is mentioned in the ''

Novgorodian First Chronicle The Novgorod First Chronicle (russian: Новгородская первая летопись) or The Chronicle of Novgorod, 1016–1471 is the most ancient extant Old Russian chronicle of the Novgorodian Rus'. It reflects a tradition different ...

'' as the patron of the stone Church of Boris and Gleb built in the Novgorodian Detinets in 1167. Sadko can also be viewed as a metaphor for

Yaroslav the Wise Yaroslav the Wise or Yaroslav I Vladimirovich; russian: Ярослав Мудрый, ; uk, Ярослав Мудрий; non, Jarizleifr Valdamarsson; la, Iaroslaus Sapiens () was the Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death. He was als ...

. The ''liberation'' of the Novgorodian people by Sadko can also be linked to the establishment of the

Novgorod Republic The Novgorod Republic was a medieval state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the northern Ural Mountains in the east, including the city of Novgorod and the Lake Ladoga regions of m ...

by Yaroslav.

Adaptations

This tale attracted the attention of several authors in the 19th century with the rise of the

Slavophile Slavophilia (russian: Славянофильство) was an intellectual movement originating from the 19th century that wanted the Russian Empire to be developed on the basis of values and institutions derived from Russia's early history. Slavoph ...

movement and served as a basis for a number of derived works, most notably the poem "Sadko" by Alexei Tolstoy (written 1871–1872); additionally notable the 1898

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

entitled '' Садко (Sadko)'' composed by

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

, who also wrote the

Libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

. In 1952,

Aleksandr Ptushko Aleksandr Lukich Ptushko (russian: Александр Лукич Птушко, – 6 March 1973) was a Soviet animation and fantasy film director, and a People's Artist of the USSR (1969). Ptushko is frequently (and somewhat misleadingly) referred ...

directed a live action film based on the opera entitled '' Садко (Sadko)''. A shortened and heavily modified version of this film was dubbed and entitled ''The Magic Voyage of Sinbad'' in 1962; later spoofed on

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...

and released on DVD by

Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

in 2011. In 2018 an animated adaption was released. The 1953 Soviet biopic ''

Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

'' features pieces of the opera. The 1952 original film adaption ''Садко'' by киностудии МОСФИЛЬМ (movie maker MOSFILM) was released on DVD in February 2004 by the Russian Cinema Council (Ruscico) as noted on Mosfilm website and available as free download on RareLust website Search Results for “Sadko” , RareLust ~ movies from All Genres
/ref> as ''Sadko''.

Explanatory notes

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * *

External links

''Sadko''
the ''bylina''

as collected by

in ''Old Peter's Russian Tales''
''Sadko''
as collected by

in ''Old Peter's Russian Tales'' as a librivox.org audiobook.
Collection of bylin about Sadko
(in Russian) {{Slavic mythology Russian folklore characters Characters in Bylina People from medieval Novgorod Russian folklore Epic poems Russian poems Medieval legends Maritime folklore Slavic folklore characters Veliky Novgorod Legendary Russian people Russian legends